Who Needs Mistletoe?
by ringaroundtherollins
Summary: The New Day is celebrating Christmas Eve at Kofi Kingston's house, and someone is tugging on his heartstrings this holiday season in a way like never before. Could it ever work out for the unexpected pairing? One-shot. Some language. Fluff aplenty. Xavier Woods x Kofi Kingston.


_**Disclaimer: The following one-shot is 155% fluff. Prepare your teeth for potential cavities from the pure sweetness of it all.**_

 _ **Disclaimer #2: I love the Rankin/Bass Productions's Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, but New Day making fun of it just seemed to be up their alley. Take no offense at the jabs towards the holiday classic. I'm a sucker for it every single year. :)**_

* * *

" _I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know_ …Bing Crosby got nothin' on me!" Big E's dynamic voice carried through Kofi Kingston's shingle-style home.

"Well, you and Bing Crosby need to dream a little softer," Kofi called from the kitchen. The granite countertop was lined with most of the ingredients necessary for brownies: sugar, vanilla extract, butter, flour, salt, the cocoa powder. All that was missing were the eggs, which Xavier Woods graciously offered to pick up on his way to Kofi's house. Heroic man, that Xavier, voluntarily contending against panicking, last-minute Christmas Eve crowds _and_ the savage New England gale that had shoved through this afternoon, toting snowfall and frigid temperatures with it.

"Old Man Winter can hold off until Xavier gets here," Kofi said, almost to himself. He stared at the sheer blue curtains suspended over the bay window in the living room, waiting for them to illuminate with Xavier's car's headlights.

"He's _fine_ ," E vowed, his muscular form suddenly taking up the kitchen entryway. "He won't get here any faster if you keep staring at the door."

"Just want him to be safe." The ingredients were measured out already, but Kofi checked on them again—pretended to check on them, anything to keep himself from staring at the curtains. "I really need those eggs."

E lingered. "Kofi. Be real with me for a second. What's going on between you guys?"

"Nothing."

He could practically hear E nodding to that statement. It was true, whether Kofi was okay with it or not. "Alright. I can believe that. But lemme ask you this: you _want_ something to go on between you guys?"

A fourth of a teaspoon of salt. Half a cup of flour, half a cup of butter. A cup of sugar. A teaspoon of vanilla extract, a third of a cup of powdery brownie mix. Kofi just needed two eggs. _Come on…where are my eggs…I need the eggs. I need the eggs here, safe_.

"Kooooooofi?"

Kofi blinked and he was brought back to reality. "Sorry. What?"

E was grinning now, the way he would during a match when he had his opponent cornered and taunting commenced by the aid of his wiggling hips and Xavier's trombone. "You heard me, fool."

Kofi tried a different course. "You know how weird that would make everything, E? First off, we're a team. There's three of us, and we all work together. I'm not about singling anyone out."

"I didn't—"

"And secondly, we work together. We're like family, all of us. He and I are like family. Business partners. Buddies. Bros. That's the way it is, and I don't want it to change."

"Yeah. Buddies, bros, that's the way it is, sure."

Kofi pushed a breath out. Andy Williams took Bing Crosby's place on the music channel on the TV. "You ain't gonna believe me, either way. But yeah. That's the way it is. Not even sure what's going through his head about it, if anything." He gently whisked the plain brownie powder with a mixing paddle.

"Let me just remind you," E audaciously proceeded, stepping up to Kofi's side and resting an arm on the counter, "who it was who flung his precious trombone at Kalisto during the ladder match at TLC, to give _you_ one more chance to make it to the top of the ladder yourself and claim our tag team titles."

Kofi smiled at the memory. That had been a good night. A kind move on Xavier's part.

"If that don't say 'I'm warm for your form', I don't know what does."

"E…"

"You can think it would put a strain on work. That's fine. Maybe it would, I don't know. But don't be so stubborn that you'll deny what you _both_ feel inside." He made a single fist and beat his chest. "That ain't the New Day way."

Kofi opened his mouth to make some sort of retort when the curtains suddenly radiated with the glow of car lights. He bulged, then deflated, with a breath of relief.

"Oh, good, Xa—the eggs are here," Kofi said. He swung his arm so fast over the counter that he didn't notice he'd knocked the cup of butter to the floor. He moved past E who was left in the kitchen alone to shake his head.

"Yeah. The _eggs_ is what you was worried about," he said to himself.

Kofi passed the sultry fireplace and glimmering Christmas tree, which had four gifts tucked away under its protruding branches—Kofi's for Xavier and Big E, and E's for Xavier and Kofi, which they'd be exchanging tonight since the team would be split tomorrow to spend time with their families.

Kofi tugged the front door open. Outside his car, Xavier, bundled in a heavy coat like an eskimo, clutched a grocery bag in one hand and balanced two wrapped gifts in the other.

"Need help?" Kofi shouted over the blasting winter air. He didn't have a coat on, but he'd be out there in a second if Xavier was struggling to carry everything.

"I got it," Xavier assured him. He plodded up the porch steps, boots dragging through the snow that had accumulated quickly in the past couple of hours. Kofi held the door open for him, then pressed it closed once he scurried into the house.

"Whew!" Xavier declared. "Baby, it's _cold_ outside!"

"That song's of the devil," Big E said.

"I got this," Kofi said, offering to take the grocery bag. E looted the Christmas presents from Xavier's other hand and deposited them with the others.

"Thanks, guys." Xavier wriggled out of his dripping winter footwear and stowed them with his coat away in the closet. "Sorry it took so long. Not even blizzards can keep lazy patrons from swarming the stores."

"No worries. Just glad you didn't wreck or anything," Kofi said.

"Yeah, Kofi was gettin' real worried about the _eggs_ ," E stated, brows squirming like worms over his big eyes.

Xavier didn't catch onto his joshing. "Well, fear not! The eggs have arrived, and so have I. Now we can finally get these amazing Christmas brownies made."

Kofi rubbed his hands together. "I'm so excited for these."

"I'm excited for _these_ ," E said, contemplating the small collection of gifts under the Christmas tree. "By the size of mine, I'm guessing it's that Bugatti I asked for."

"Man, save your impractical dreams for St. Nick," Xavier said with a playful scoff. "I'm a WWE Superstar. I ain't Warren Buffett."

Kofi chuckled. "Let's get to these brownies."

"So what'd you get me for Christmas?" Xavier asked, strolling at Kofi's side into the kitchen.

"A puppy. I had to poke air holes in that little box under the tree so it could breathe."

"A puppy? I'd be stoked, but damn, that's a small-ass puppy."

"Toy poodle. Your absolute favorite."

"Ew." Xavier's nose crinkled, then he laughed. "Knowing my luck, I'd step on it not a day later."

"On purpose, or…?"

"Hey, poodles might be one of the most obnoxious dog breeds in existence, but I ain't about animal cruelty over here."

Kofi dug the foam carton from the grocery bag and freed two eggs from the dimples. "Could you hand me the flour?"

"Yeah, sure." The half-cup of flour was situated at the end of Kofi's organized line of ingredients. Xavier snatched it in hand and slid to his left to deliver it. "Don't be mad at me, but I kind of didn't cheap out when it came to your present. As soon as I saw it, I knew—"

Xavier's foot skidded over the lump of fallen butter. "Whoa!" he cried. He jerked forward, the contents of the measuring cup taking flight in a white powdery flurry—and smacking Kofi's face.

What was initially shock decomposed into Xavier's helpless laughter as Kofi squeezed his eyes shut and dragged his fingers over his eyelids, flicking flour off the digits. He pushed air through his tight lips, spitting a pall of powder into the air. Xavier was nearly on his knees.

"I'm s—I'm s—I'm so s—" But he couldn't force the words through his chortling. Kofi just simpered at him, enjoying Xavier's hearty laugh more than he detested being covered in flour.

Xavier bent forward, body quaking with guffawing, and Kofi came up with a solution from here.

He grabbed another egg and cracked it open over Xavier's head. The yellowish-orange yolk perched in his frizzed mane, and the dripping glob slithered through the combed locks over his scalp. Xavier popped up, laughter suddenly evading him, mouth open in a surprised O-shape.

"Dude!" he exclaimed. "What the hell?"

Now Kofi was suppressing a laugh.

"What a waste of resources!" Xavier declared.

"No, it's not. I only needed two eggs for the brownies. The rest are all mine."

Xavier reached for the slippery yolk and eventually exhumed it from his hair. "Gross." But he was smiling.

"Truce?" Kofi asked, offering his hand in a mannerly shake.

"Truce," Xavier said, swinging his hand into Kofi's. "Wouldn't want you to take back my toy poodle."

"I even have the best name picked out for him. Cajun."

"No good. That's way too badass for something from such a sissy breed."

It took Xavier a while to let go of Kofi's hand. He could still feel its warmth, its strength, when Xavier released him and said, "I'll remeasure the flour. How much do we need?"

Kofi didn't bother to get himself cleaned up just yet, and neither did Xavier. Soiled and giddy, they threw together the brownie batter and let the mixture drizzle to a flat level in the baking pan. The oven was preheated, and Kofi carefully placed the pan on the top rack. He set the timer, then handed over the mixing spoon, dripping with uncooked batter, to Xavier.

His eyes twinkled at the sight of it. "For me? You sure?"

"Sure, I'm sure. Ingest all that salmonella."

"Gladly!" He lapped his tongue over the chocolatey spoon. "Mmm. Sometimes I think licking the spoon tastes better than the actual brownies."

"Yo, E!" Kofi hollered. "You want the bowl?"

Big E materialized in the entryway. "Bowl?"

"Yeah. Mixing bowl."

"Ooh, sure! Don't mind if I do."

While wondering why he hadn't bothered showing himself during the brownie preparations, Kofi handed over the deliciously smeary mixing bowl to Big E. He dragged his finger through a glob of mixture and popped it in his mouth.

"You don't get any, Kof?" Xavier asked, cocking his head like a befuddled puppy.

"Eh. That's alright. I'll just call dibs on the first brownie."

Xavier didn't accept that response. "Here. I don't have cooties." He passed Kofi the mixing spoon.

"It's fine, really," Kofi maintained. "Help yourself."

Xavier poked his lips with the spoon. Then again. And again. Kofi would have found the behavior irksome from anyone else, but that silly little smile on Xavier's face wore away all of his irritation.

"I'm not gonna stop till you take it," Xavier said.

Kofi grabbed the spoon. "Fine." He nibbled on a bit of the chocolate blend, wondering if Xavier tasted as good as this batter did.

 _What the hell's wrong with me? It's Christmas, that's gotta be it. It's a romantic time of year and I'm just tired of being alone…right? Is that it_?

"We got some time before these are done," Big E said, noting the timer. "Y'all wanna do a movie, or presents?"

"Movie first," Xavier said before Kofi could give the same answer. "Presents are special, so we'll save those for last."

"Works for me," Kofi concurred like it hadn't been his musing as well.

Kofi and Xavier cleaned themselves up in separate bathrooms first, and Kofi changed his shirt to a signature New Day tee. The movie of choice was Rankin/Bass Productions's _Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer_. The tacky yet endearing holiday special was not going to be taken seriously by any means by the members of New Day.

"Oh, excuse me," said the snowman in the top hat talking about a blizzard that almost cancelled Christmas. "Call me Sam. What's the matter? Haven't you ever seen a talking snowman before?"

"Uh, yeah?" Big E said. "His name's Frosty, you fake, imitation son of a gun. Frosty should sue your ass for copyright or something."

"Actually, I think this special came out before Frosty," Xavier remarked. He'd snagged a seat in the middle of the couch, between Big E and Kofi.

"Yeah, Frosty was four or five years later," Kofi said with a grin. He was aware of what little space was left between him and Xavier. He nearly felt a gentle hum of electricity in that space.

"Oh," Big E said. "Well, then. Sorry, Sam. You should be suing Frosty's ass."

When Santa Claus came to visit Donner and his wife and their newborn son, Rudolph, Big E said, "Santa is kind of a dick in this feature, isn't he? Red noses ain't welcome on his sleigh team. Such discrimination."

"Yeah, but at least he learns his lesson by the end," Xavier said. Kofi noticed he was unfolding the decorative quilt draped over the couch behind his head.

"No, he doesn't! That's the messed-up thing! He's not so much ashamed of the way he treated Rudolph as much as he is enlightened, like, 'Oh, I know I was giving you crap for being a freak before, but now I've suddenly thought of a good use for you! Hop to it!'"

"Talk about looking way too into a kid's movie," Xavier snickered. He drew the blanket over his shoulders, looking positively adorable.

"Are you cold?" Kofi asked him.

"Eh. Just a little. I'm good now."

The living room had been balmy for most of the evening because of the fireplace, but as the flames subsided and the wood seared useless, it _had_ gotten slightly less toasty.

Kofi moved to push off the couch. "I'll tend to the fire," he said.

"It's alright. I don't mind."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

Kofi leaned against the couch again. He was starting to feel a bit of a shiver as the fire receded. But he had another way to warm up that he much preferred. Not that it would happen.

When Santa Claus brushed off the elves' performance for him, stating it "needed work", Big E scoffed. " _You_ need work, old man. Work on that attitude."

"He needs the power of positivity in his life!" Xavier exclaimed. He shifted onto his right side, nestling under the blanket snug and delightful.

 _How the hell am I about to be jealous of a damn blanket_? Kofi wondered.

"I like how the Abominable Snow Monster doesn't hurt anyone through the whole movie, yet he's getting all this hate and fear out of everyone," Big E said, shaking his head. "This movie's messed up."

"He's a monster," Xavier said. "You'd run like hell if you saw him, too."

Was it just Kofi, or was Xavier inching closer and closer to him as time passed?

"Wait," Kofi said, "Rudolph was on his own for months and months, and _before_ that time his parents and Clarice went out looking for him, then he comes across the snow cave one day and finds the monster with his family as his captives? Why the hell did the monster wait for months and months to chow down on some doe and buck?"

"Maybe they were looking for him and the monster captured 'em just moments before Rudolph showed up?" Xavier guessed. Kofi wasn't just fooling himself. Xavier was leaning close to him now. He'd filled part of the space between them by several inches. The hum of electricity Kofi sensed before was now a live wire, threatening to shock him if perhaps they touched.

Big E was just smirking over Xavier's inclined body.

"That's a pretty big coincidence," Kofi voiced. "E's right. This movie makes no sense."

"Messed up," E said with a nod. "Still a classic. Still love it to bits and pieces. But it's messed up."

Was Xavier trying so hard to make a move? What was stopping him? Was he shy? Nervous? He shouldn't have been. Kofi would have had them both under the covers…maybe even in each other's arms by now…

He decided to test the waters. Kofi took hold of the bottom of the blanket and pulled it over his legs. Now they were sharing. He let a hand slide beneath the warm quilt and linger there, alone.

His heart knocked against his ribcage as, just moments later, he felt one of Xavier's fingers touch his pinky. There was definitely a spark.

Maybe he was just afraid of doing anything in front of Big E?

Kofi coiled his pinky finger around what he discovered was Xavier's thumb. He could feel his pulse in his fingertips. He wondered if Xavier could feel it, too. Or mistake it for his own.

"See? Abominable Snow Monster was never a bad guy!" Big E claimed as the "beast" topped the elves' Christmas tree with a star. "You bunch of judgmental mother-effers."

"Lessons from Rudolph: only judge someone if you have a good reason to judge them," Kofi laughed. He felt Xavier shaking with a giggle beside him. Felt Xavier's hand slither closer into Kofi's hold until the palms were pressed against one another, fingers braided together.

His pulse was stormy now. There was no way Xavier couldn't tell.

During the end credits, Big E suddenly howled laughter. "Did you guys see that!?"

"See what?" Xavier asked, sounding sleepy.

"That bitch elf just pushed the bird out of the sleigh without an umbrella! He gave umbrellas to all the other toys, but not the bird."

"Bird doesn't need it, right?" Kofi asked. "Birds fly."

"Nah, dude, that was the misfit bird! The one who couldn't fly, he swims!" E rewound the DVD to the scene he was referring to.

"Oh!" Xavier said, erupting with a fresh laugh after a playback. "You're right! Look, the guy even dangles the umbrella in front of him first, then decides, 'Psych! Out you go, freak!'"

"This movie is so messed up!" Kofi wailed.

" _So_ messed up!" Big E laughed.

Not long after the movie ended, the oven timer beeped. The brownies were ready. Evidence of such presented itself as a mouthwatering waft.

"Ooh, let's get 'em!" Big E said, springing from the couch. "They smell so good!"

Kofi and Xavier took their time getting up. Kofi didn't want to let go, and apparently neither did Xavier.

"Want some brownies?" Kofi asked.

"Of course. I'm just really comfortable."

"Yeah. Me too."

The pair waited until E questioned them. "You guys coming, or…?"

"Would you be a dear and bring them in here for us?" Kofi called. "So we can open presents and eat brownies?"

"Am I getting paid for this service?"

"Sure. I'll give you one free hug."

"Generous of you, Kingston. You want me to pour everyone's milk while I'm at it?"

"Actually, that would be great!" Xavier said, giggling.

"Y'all must be _real_ comfy under that quilt," E taunted.

The ribbing had endowed an uneasy sensation, and Xavier sat up, removing the precious feel of his hand from Kofi's. "Maybe we should help him," he said, before moving into the kitchen without a direct answer from Kofi.

"Yeah," Kofi sighed, pressing his eyes closed for a moment. How would this ever work out well for them? "Guess so."

He folded up the blanket, repositioned it over the couch, and made his way to the kitchen to find E and Xavier had already taken care of everything. Brownie pieces stacked high on a glass plate, and Xavier was topping off the third cup of milk. He handed one of them off to Kofi, who thanked him with a small smile.

Xavier still looked sort of uneasy.

Kofi watched with glum as he moved out of the kitchen behind E. How had they gone from practically cuddling under a blanket to awkward and edgy?

He almost didn't want to give Xavier his Christmas present now, to avoid heightening the agitation.

In a way, he blamed E for his blunt "joke."

In a stronger way, he blamed himself for giving into a moment of weakness, exposing his true feelings.

This _couldn't_ end well, could it?

As much as he wanted it to. As much as he wanted Xavier Woods.

He followed his teammates into the living room, where the boys sat in a circle on the wool rug between the tree and the now-barren fireplace. E was the distributor of gifts, handing two to Kofi and two to Xavier, and holding his two presents in his lap.

"Alright," E said, reaching for a brownie from the plate in the middle of their ring. "Who's first?"

"Open yours from me," Xavier urged, looking to Kofi. He wrapped his arms around his knees.

"Surprise, surprise," E quipped.

Kofi bore his discomforted glare into his gift instead of at his teammate. He peeled back a fine layer of wrapping paper, then went rigid in disbelief.

"Wh—" he tried, but words jilted him.

Xavier was beaming, radiating.

"What is it?" E quizzed.

Kofi stripped the rest of the paper off his incredible gift and showed it to E, whose eyes bulged at the package. "How the hell—?"

It was _Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India_. A game not scheduled for release until mid-January.

"Merry Christmas, Kofi!" Xavier said.

"How the hell did you get your hands on this, dude?" Kofi asked, fingers fondling the game like the sacred treasure it truly was.

"I run a gaming channel, man. I know people. I figured this would get us a little praise if we ever played it…but this is your game. For _you_."

Kofi found himself at a loss for words yet again. All he could do was open his arms and take Xavier in a grateful, wonderful hug.

"Thank you…wow, I still can't believe you managed to score this."

"I'm gonna be kinda upset if I open mine from you and it turns out to be a tie or something," Big E teased Xavier.

"Go ahead," Xavier encouraged. "Open it up."

E's gift from him was a collector's Boba Fett action figure, which he was stoked about. "Sick, bro! Part of me just wants to say 'screw it' and tear it open and play with it," he laughed.

Xavier and Kofi took turns opening their gifts from Big E: a Nintendo GameBoy coffee mug for Xavier, and a custom black t-shirt that read in silver letters "Wrestling is my Super Power" on the front, with Kofi's name printed on the back.

"Awesome, dude!" Kofi cried, holding the shirt up to see it from front to back. "Thanks a lot."

Big E's gift from Kofi was a set of vintage comic books, including issues of Star Wars, Conan The Barbarian, the Fantastic Four, and Batman. E touched a finger to his eye, dabbing a tear Kofi was both touched and rueful for giving him.

"I didn't mean to make you cry, E," Kofi said.

"No, this is just…wow, it's beautiful. Probably not cheap, either. You guys know me so well." He pressed the historic collection, protected in a layer of shrink wrap, to his chest—to his heart. "Thank you. Thanks a _lot_."

"Of course," Kofi said, patting his shoulder.

"Alright," Xavier said, readying his hands to tear into Kofi's gift. "Been waiting for this one."

"I hope you like it," Kofi stated with absolute sincerity.

"Oh, I bet I will."

Kofi watched as Xavier unwrapped a little black box, then craned the lid open and drew from the velvet parcel a long, thick black chain with a dog tag dangling from the metal.

"Whoa. Is this engraved?" Xavier asked, taking the dog tag between his fingers.

"It is," Kofi said, nodding. "Can you figure out what it says?"

His brown eyes narrowed at the fine carving. "Well, there's my name, and…DS…DSHC? DSHC, 7-12-07."

Kofi was about to offer a hint when suddenly Xavier's beautiful eyes shone brighter than any light on the tree, any blaze in any fireplace lit around the country that night. "Oh my God! DSHC, is that the, uh, the…Deep South Heavyweight Championship?"

"It is," Kofi said, feeling dazzling within himself just watching Xavier ignite with bliss like this.

"2007…the tournament was that year, in Locust Grove…I beat Murder One to get…" Those glinting eyes lifted to meet Kofi's. "My first WWE championship."

"Merry Christmas, Xavier," Kofi said.

Xavier chewed on a trembling lip. He leaned forward and took Kofi in another embrace. "What a sweet piece of memorabilia. How amazing that you remembered…that you knew about one of the greatest accomplishments of my career…"

"Of course. It was moments like that that got you to where you are right now. And quite frankly, I like where you are. With me. Uh, with us," he corrected himself. _Smooth_.

A film of moisture overlaid his gorgeous eyes. "Thank you, Kofi. This means…so much to me." He squeezed the dog tag in his hand, then pulled the chain over his neck. "I ain't ever taking it off."

"Well, I'd take it off for matches," E said. "You don't want it to break."

"Or choke on it," Kofi added.

"That too. Priorities."

The kitchen was left a disaster after baking brownies and the brief showdown between Kofi and Xavier, and E, as snide as he'd acted earlier on, was more than happy to help clean up the mess.

On their way to the kitchen, Xavier grabbed Kofi's hand. Kofi stopped walking and spun around, defenseless against that smile, that joy on his face, his beautiful, angelic, curved face…

"I'm sorry about earlier," Xavier said, voice nearly muted. "I didn't mean to freak out or pull away like that."

"It's alright," Kofi said without meaning it in full.

"It's just…I don't know. With E and everything, I didn't think it was…"

Kofi understood. Somewhat. He'd expressed that very concern to E earlier.

"I just don't think it's any of his business," Xavier said.

"Yeah…it shouldn't be, but what sucks is it kind of _is_ ," Kofi whispered.

"Because we're a team."

"Exactly."

"So I wouldn't want to hide anything from him…but it's like…you know how he is. On the one hand, we're a family. We tell each other everything, share experiences, blah blah blah."

Kofi smiled.

"On the other hand…" Xavier restrengthened his grip on Kofi's hand. "I don't want to share you. I want you, Kofi Kingston…E's great and all, but he doesn't do to me what you do."

Kofi was flattered. He put his free hand to his chest. "What I do to you?"

"Of course, what you do. You're my best friend, Kofi. You understand me. You go through a lot for my sake. You care about me. Clearly." He dipped his chin towards the necklace. "This isn't a gift you get for someone you just _like_ , kinda sorta in a casual way."

"It's not," Kofi confessed with a sharp breath in.

"So, on the one hand…he's gonna know about us. I have a feeling he already does. So the jig is up and we're screwed already."

"On the other hand?" Kofi tried.

Xavier grinned.

Kofi's heart went into overdrive. He knew what was coming, and he was ready and so unprepared all at once.

He gently touched foreheads with Xavier Woods, and their lips drew one another in and converged in a tender, tender kiss.

Kofi could feel Xavier smiling in the moment. His own lips were upturned, too, in a way he had never smiled before. Not winning any championships with the New Day or by himself, not _ever_. He was happy now that made other blissful times of his life seem downcast and glum.

Xavier did to him what nobody else would do, too.

He was still smiling like an idiot, giddy and dizzy and disoriented when the kiss recessed.

Xavier's eyes lifted above. "Is that mistletoe?" he questioned.

Kofi met his gaze on the doorframe, where a perfectly-positioned green plant was tacked to the wood. "Eh, I can't remember. Might be holly or basil. Might be mistletoe…but who really needs it?"

"Not me," Xavier said. He enfolded his arms behind Kofi's neck and towed him into another kiss, this one harder and longer. Endearing and firm. Sort of the way Xavier made Kofi feel. Strong and weak, joyous and terrified, all at once.

"You guys done making out yet? Most of this mess is your fault," E's voice boomed.

Kofi chuckled softly under his breath. They'd have to get used to that.

"Merry Christmas, Kofi Kingston," Xavier spoke softly.

"Merry Christmas, Xavier Woods," Kofi answered him.

Hand-in-hand, the boys met with their teammate in the kitchen to clean up the mess. A mess that had ultimately played a role in uniting them together at last.

 _Best. Christmas. Ever_.

* * *

 _ **MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS, MY LOVELY READERS! :)**_


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